And she had almost died FIVE times.
She was starting to think reincarnation was a scam.
Aya’s antennae twitched.
Something was watching her.
She didn’t know what—only that her instincts screamed at her to RUN.
And then she saw it.
A shadow passed over her.
She looked up.
A massive black shape was swooping down from the sky, its wings slicing through the air like death itself.
A bird.
A huge, terrifying, insect-eating bird.
Aya didn’t think.
She bolted.
The bird’s beak slammed into the ground where she had just been standing.
Aya zigzagged wildly, trying to throw it off.
IT’S JUST A BIRD. HOW BAD CAN IT—
A gust of wind nearly sent her flying.
The bird flapped its wings, lifting into the air, and came down for a second strike.
Aya barely dodged, rolling into a patch of leaves.
She held her breath, trembling.
The bird’s sharp eyes scanned the ground.
For a long, horrifying moment, she thought she was dead.
And then—
A rustle.
Something moved nearby.
The bird immediately turned toward the noise.
Aya watched in pure relief as the bird flew off toward some other poor creature.
YES! GO EAT SOMEONE ELSE!
She stayed hidden until the sounds of flapping wings faded.
Then, she crawled out, shaking.
“…This is fine. Everything’s fine.”
She had barely survived. Again.
She needed to get stronger. Fast.
But first—
She needed a place to rest.
Which led her to—
Aya wandered through the undergrowth, looking for food. That’s when she saw it.
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A snail.
It sat there, minding its own business.
Aya was starving. She cautiously approached, thinking about how weak and defenseless snails were.
“This is perfect,” she thought. “Snails can’t even fight back.”
Aya prepared to attack.
Then, the snail turned.
Aya froze.
For some reason… she felt intense danger.
Before she could react, the snail suddenly lurched forward.
Wait. WAIT. WAIT. Snails weren’t supposed to be fast?!
Aya screamed and ran.
The snail chased her.
It wasn’t just any snail.
It was THE fastest snail in existence.
Aya skittered over rocks and leaves, dodging with all her might.
She glanced back.
The snail was right behind her.
WHY WAS IT SO FAST?!
After what felt like an eternity of suffering, she barely managed to escape.
Aya collapsed under a leaf, shaking.
“…I just lost a fight… to a snail.”
She wanted to die.
Aya found a tiny hole under a rock.
It was dark, quiet, hidden—perfect.
Aya crawled in.
And immediately regretted it.
A lone, battle-scarred ant lunged at her.
Aya barely dodged.
She skittered backward, already exhausted from the day.
“Not this again,” she groaned.
The other ant’s pheromones flooded the air.
Aya recognized them immediately.
“INTRUDER. LEAVE OR DIE.”
Aya tried to negotiate.
The lone ant did not care.
It attacked again.
Aya dodged. Again.
She braced herself, preparing to fight back—
And then—
The ground shook.
Both Aya and the rogue ant froze.
They turned their antennae toward the new threat.
And that’s when they saw it.
A HUGE centipede.
It slithered toward them, its hundreds of legs twitching.
Aya realized two things instantly:
- It was hungry.
- They were food.
The rogue ant immediately ran.
Aya did too.
SCREW THIS. I’M NOT DYING TODAY.
As Aya fled from the centipede, she spotted a floating leaf in a puddle of water.
An idea struck her.
“That’s it! If I jump on that leaf, I can escape across the water!”
Aya ran at full speed and leaped.
She soared gracefully through the air—
And then immediately sank straight into the puddle.
The leaf wasn’t a leaf.
It was a thin layer of algae.
Aya floundered in the water, screaming.
Somewhere in the distance, she was pretty sure the centipede was laughing at her.
After struggling for what felt like hours, she finally managed to pull herself out of the water.
She collapsed onto the ground, soaking wet.
She glared at the puddle.
“…That was personal.”
Aya stumbled into an open clearing.
And then she froze in horror.
There were giants.
Not bugs.
Not birds.
Humans.
Aya felt tears of joy well up.
HUMANS. FINALLY. I’M SAVED.
She rushed forward, waving her tiny antennae excitedly.
She had never been so happy to see another person.
She scurried closer.
The humans turned.
Their eyes locked onto her.
There was a pause.
And then—
“AHHHHH! WHAT IS THAT?!”
One of them grabbed a rock.
Aya’s joy turned to pure horror.
WAIT. NO. DON’T—
THE ROCK CAME FLYING AT HER.
Aya dodged just in time, the rock smashing into the ground beside her.
Another human raised a boot.
THEY WERE GOING TO STOMP HER.
Aya’s dreams of being rescued by humans shattered instantly.
THEY THINK I’M JUST A BUG.
I AM JUST A BUG.
Panic flooded her entire body.
She turned and RAN.
She zigzagged, dodging more flying rocks, stomping feet, and screaming.
And finally—
She dived into a crack in the ground.
Darkness.
Silence.
Aya curled up, shaking.
Humans… won’t help me.
They think I’m a monster.
I AM a monster.
Slowly, the horrible truth sank in.
She wasn’t one of them anymore.
She was just another bug.
If she wanted to survive in this world…
She had to stop thinking like a human.
And start thinking like a monster.